Teenagers
by JessieMellark254
Summary: Nico, Percy, and Annabeth are all attending the same school in New York. Nico, a freshman, is taking a required Mythology class with senior Percy. Nico is entranced by a mysterious girl with dark hair, who seems to not notice his aura of death. When his class is attacked, a Camp Half-Blood satyr needs to take this mystery girl back with them.
1. Chapter 1

Teenagers scare the living shit out of me. At least, these do. When I was younger, most teens my age where obsessing about the war, Mussolini and Hitler, and the "Roma problem". At least those were real problems, even though most had deluded opinions on the matters. These teens are obsessed with sex, and rap music, and whatever the hell weed is. It's okay, though, because I seem to scare them as well, what with the whole "radiating death" thing. I must creep a particular group of girls wearing sandals and floral print tops out as I walk past them in the school hallway, because they stare at me cautiously.

As I power-walk past the girls, I turn sharply into my Mythology classroom. I definitely would have skipped taking a class where I knew everything in the curriculum, but it is required to graduate, and I might as well get it over with. The class is an elective, so any grade can take it, which is why Percy somehow ended up in the same class as me. He and Annabeth are seniors, and I a freshman, but it doesn't matter. Annabeth has a class right across the hall this period. Something about architecture.

I sit in the back, and the idiot sits next to me, as always. Percy was pretty popular (go figure), and we were allowed to choose our seats in this class, yet he still sits next to me. It's kind of annoying. I don't have a crush on him anymore, but I still feel awkward around him. He's the epitome of what I wish I could be: a cool guy, that no one is afraid of, and that everyone actually looks up to. Hell, _I_ look up to Percy. I'm jealous of him, but I could never tell him that. We're friends, and I don't have many of those, at least not here in this death hole.

He pulls out a binder with a picture of the Seven, Reyna and I on the top half and a picture of just Annabeth on the bottom half. He has a few more photos scattered on top of the full pics, including one of Thalia in a Green Day t-shirt. He loves his friends. He then hands me an Egg McMuffin.

"Eat this, ghost boy," he says.

"Don't call me that," I say while I stuff the first quarter of the breakfast in my mouth, earning a small laugh from Percy.

Percy, along with Will and the demigods of the Argo II, are making me eat as much and as regularly as possible, not that I'm complaining. I nibble the sandwich while the teacher, a scrawny hairy man with a walker, writes today's lesson on the board.

A nerdy, dark-haired girl sits not far from me. I've never caught her name, but she always catches my eye when she walks in the room. Five minutes later, a cheerleader walks in the room. I've never seen her before, but knowing my social calendar, a popular chick I've never seen is not far-fetched. I go back to looking at the dark-haired girl. I have a strange desire to talk to her, one that I've had since I first saw her. She is wearing her usual glasses, band t-shirt and side braid. She has on a pair of light-wash jeans and black Converse. She seems to not notice me, giving me hope that there's a mortal in the world that I don't completely terrify. With the daily assignment passed out, the chapter on Athena's influence read, and half of the class asleep, the teacher dismisses us early. Percy and I hang around, waiting on Annabeth.

I finger the scars on my arms, noticing the messy lesions that will always be there. Some people have commented that they think I did it to myself, but I couldn't exactly tell the truth to defend myself. Will gave me a scar reducing cream, but these babies are stubborn. I pull the sleeves back over them, feeling the leather of the sheath that keeps a small version of my sword over my forearm. Hazel and Leo, newly back from the dead, worked to make larger swords easy to carry and conceal, making my usually giant black sword the size of a pocket knife. To revert it back to normal size, there is a convenient button. Yay.

I end up using that concealed sword today.

The cheerleader, who was talking softly to the teacher, puts her book bag on top of the nearest desk. And that's when her skin turns completely white, her hair goes up in flames, and one donkey leg and one bronze leg move towards Percy and I at an incredible speed, her fangs and red eyes scaring away the sense to move out of her path.

 **Notes:**

Thank you for reading this! I don't know how often I'll be able to update the story, but I will try my hardest!

Love you all!


	2. Chapter 2

Her claws, just barely missing my head, snap me back to reality. Percy has already drawn Riptide, and has started slashing at the empousai's head. Most of the students are backed up against the wall, hiding under desks, but some boys are staring down the monster as they fall under her spell. Judging by the looks on their faces, the Mist is not covering up much if anything. I assume the evil cheerleader is manipulating it to scare them senseless. I push my hand under my sleeve and grab the miniature version of my sword. At the flick of my wrist, the sword grows to full size. I prepare to charge, when she says, "Stop," to Percy and I.

Charmspeak, great. This is why I hate empousai. They have magical abilities that just get in the way. Percy and I, unprepared, are unable to resist the magical command. We drop our swords. "Freeze."

And we do. The cheerleader limps towards Percy and bares her fangs. "Son of Poseidon, I've heard much about you. I'm fresh out of Tartarus, you see, and I've waited a long time for your blood. My mother will be angry, but I don't care. Others desire you, and your Underworld friend over there, but I've gone great lengths to ensure you're all mine."

She opens her jaw wide, and I can see the fear in Percy's eyes. But then, a flash of dark hair zooms by, and the pale empousai sprawls to the ground. The girl who sat in the desk in front of me hit Hecate's creation over the head with a mythology textbook. This causes the charmspeak spell to break, and Percy and I begin to pick our swords back up.

"Reminds me of Rachel," Percy says with a grin. The empousai gets off the ground, and he raises his sword again. The girl is frozen with fear, so I pull her away from the monster so she doesn't get hit by the sword. "Go back to Tartarus where you belong!"

Riptide goes though her chest, turning her into a burst of dust. "I guess we'll never be able to go to school here again, right?" I say, both of us sighing. The teacher, who avoided the conflict, emerges from behind the desk without his walker.

Did I forget to mention he's a satyr?

"Nico, Percy. We have to get to Camp Half-Blood now. We can't risk staying here any longer. We'll need to get Annabeth beforehand." He points to the girl. "She needs to come with us." The girl looks at all three of us, completely and utterly terrified. We all run out of the classroom. I have to pull the mystery girl by the arm as we rush to Annabeth's class.

When we get across the hall, Percy pushes the door open. The students are all staring at their computers until the door opens. How they didn't notice the commotion in the mythology classroom, I'll never know. Annabeth looks at Percy with a worried and confused look. "Sorry to disturb, but Annabeth is needed," Percy shouts. The teacher looks up questioningly. "Why?" But by the time this is asked, Annabeth is scrambling out the door with us.

"What happened?" Annabeth asks as we run down the hall. "Empousai. Lets just say we can never come here again," I say.

"Always fun," she says. Mystery girl is looking at all of us, and Annabeth asks, "Who's she?", as we go through the school doors to the parking lot.

The satyr answers the question all of us needed the answer to. "Leilah Eryn. She's a demigod, and I was instructed to take her to camp. She should be claimed not long after arrival at camp."

Leilah finally speaks. "Can someone tell me what the hell is going on?"


	3. Chapter 3

"You're a demigod. Do you know what that means?"

Leilah probably did, considering she was taking Greek Mythology, but she shook her head side to side.

Percy, Annabeth, Leilah, Mr. Lyme (the satyr), and I went further into the parking lot so no one would see Jules-Albert when I summoned him. We had all climbed into the car Jules drove. The car had two rows facing each other on the sides, and Leilah, Mr. Lyme and I took one side while Annabeth and Percy took the other. Leilah is obviously scared, because she crosses her arms and sits on the very end of the seat. Annabeth and Percy sit shoulder to shoulder and hold hands. Percy looks at Leilah sympathetically, knowing what it feels like for your life to suddenly be a lie. I was too young at the time I found out about my father to understand how bizarre it is, so it never affected me, but Percy was pretty aware when he went to Camp Half-Blood for the first time. We sit in an awkward silence, until Mr. Lyme speaks up again.

"Leilah, I know this is… weird. But _you're_ a demigod. There's no denying it."

"What do you mean?" she says quietly.

"Your mother, or father, is a Greek god. We don't know who, yet, because he or she will have to claim you as their child when we get to Camp Half-Blood," Mr. Lyme says very calmly.

"What the hell is Camp Half-Blood?" Leilah shifts to sit up a little more and look Mr. Lyme in the eyes.

"It's a place in Long Island Sound where demigods like yourself live out of the danger of monsters."

Annabeth speaks up. "I ran away from home when I was seven. I met my friends Thalia and… and Luke," Annabeth says, taking a deep breath. Leilah has already turned her attention towards her. "They were running away, too. They were my family, and they saved me. They took me to camp, but a monster killed Thalia before she got into the safe boundary. Zeus, her father, turned her into a tree to keep her alive. Camp Half-Blood is amazing, Leilah. I've made so many friends over the years, and I've learned so many things demigods can't learn in the mortal world. I met my half-siblings, I met my best friends in the entire world," she says, glancing at me, so I assume she means the Argo II crew, "and I met Percy." She squeezes his hand and he grins at her. Gross.

I want to say something, _anything_ to Leilah about my coming to camp, but since almost every day since going to camp has been a nightmare of its own, I decide it isn't the best time.

I also want to know why I want to say anything. Why do I care about some girl I barely know? I'm definitely not attracted to her… you know… like _that_ ; I have Will, but I still have a desire to get to know her.

"I know that I never knew my mom. My dad says she was very mysterious, kind of occult, and he liked that about her. He really likes studying that kind of stuff, the dark magic and witchcraft. He said they met when he was 23, trying to get his degree. They had me when he was 25, but she died in a car accident when I was a few days old. So my mother can't be a god; she's dead."

Mr. Lyme looks delighted, which seems to tick Leilah off. 'So your mother is a god, then! I can't wait to find out who!" he bleats. She mumbles something about cooking him while leaning back into the cushion.

I feel bad for Leilah. Bianca always told me that my father was dead, too. That there was no way he could be alive. But one day a crazy group of weirdos take you to camp and you raise a few skeletons and you learn pretty quickly you aren't who you thought you were.

"Leilah, where does your father live?"

"Why?"

"Because we have a few things to discuss with him before we take you to camp."

"What if he doesn't want me going to this weird camp?"

"To be honest, Leilah, if he wants you to be safe, then he doesn't really have a choice."


	4. Chapter 4

The black car Jules is driving parks in front of an old apartment building that looks like it was built the same year I was born. Annabeth and Percy had fallen asleep on the long drive to the Bronx, and I have to shake them awake. Leilah looks wary to get out of the car, but Annabeth gently coaxes her out. After we all have stepped out, I thank Jules and he disappears. Mr. Lyme takes the lead, and we all quietly follow. We are herded into the rickety elevator, and Leilah presses the button with the number 4 on it. Percy and Annabeth look pale immediately, and who can blame them? They escaped Tartarus through one, almost dying in the process.

The elevator opens, and we follow a sulking Leilah as she drags her feet across the stained carpeted hallway. She he walks down the hall, but freezes in front of the door. When we catch up, Mr. Lyme moves beside her and knocks on the door. After a few seconds, it swings open. A tall, skinny man with a long black beard stands in the door way.

"Leilah? What are you doing here?!" He looks at all of us. "And who are _they_?!"

Mr. Lyme steps up. "Mr. Eryn, your daughter needs to be taken to Camp Half-Blood. Now."

Leilah's father's face drops. "Why? What happened?"

"Monsters have begun to hunt her. They smell her. She's not safe in the mortal world."

Mr. Eryn is really quiet, which I can appreciate.

Mr. Eryn gestures for all of us to come inside. The apartment is a little creepy, and that's coming from me. It looks like a Halloween and a magic store had a baby. Huge bookshelves are filled with some of the oldest books I've ever seen. A Ouija board sits on the coffee table, along with an opened book about the Salem witch trials. Really homey place he's got here.

Percy, Annabeth and I hover around the corner near the door. Mr. Lyme practically pushes Leilah towards her father.

"Mr. Eryn, she needs to go. She needs to learn to defend herself, now that she's being hunted," Mr. Lyme says. Mr. Eryn just nods, and pulls Leilah into a hug. In our corner, things are awkward watching this moment. But you gotta admit, it must suck for him. He breaks the hug and tells Leilah to pack a bag. She looks terrified, a more drastic change from the annoyance and shyness she was showing up until this point. She must have been in denial, hoping this was all a hallucination or a well-executed joke. Don't we all wish that the shit that happens to us is just us losing our minds?

"Alright. But if anything happens to her, I swear-"

Mr. Lyme cuts him off. "She will be protected as well as possible. The monster barrier will protect the camp."

We got Jules to take us to Long Island Sound. Leilah still looks terrified, and more so the closer we got. When we reach the barrier, I see Mrs. O'Leary pestering Peleus, the dragon guarding Camp. Surprisingly, no monsters are on our tails, chasing us into camp, which I am grateful for. I'm tired of monsters today.

Except Mrs. O' Leary.

I call for her and pat my hands on my thighs, and she runs to me, tackling me to the grass. She licks me, covering me in my saliva. When I stand up, I notice Percy and Annabeth talking to Will Solace.

Will FUCKING Solace. Great.

My day is getting better and better. Note the sarcasm. I like Will… a lot. But I'll be damned if he finds out. Better just to avoid him until the crush dissipates. So to get out of that situation, I offer to take Leilah to Chiron to show her the camp. I walk her through the barrier, and when she notices everything that's happening, she freezes. Who wouldn't? It's like an alien planet when you see it for the first time. Her fear is at an all-time high. I didn't think she could get any paler.

That is, until the glowing symbol of her mother appears above her head. She is staring at me, shaking, wondering what the hell is happening _now_.

Chiron rides up behind me, looking at her, smiling. "Hecate," he whispers. "Don't get those often."


End file.
